COVID-19: Repatriation of Indian nationals from Singapore to start from Friday

The first of the nearly 20 special flights will operate on Friday from Singapore and will evacuate 240 Indians from the city-state who are stranded amidst the international travel lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian High Commissioner here said on Thursday.

The Indian government has announced plans to begin a phased repatriation of its citizens stranded abroad from May 7. Air India will operate 64 flights from May 7 to May 13 to bring back around 15,000 Indian nationals stranded abroad amid the COVID-19-induced lockdown, it was announced on Tuesday.

India is conducting its biggest ever repatriation exercise named Vande Bharat Mission-sans social distancing and COVID-19 tests to bring back stranded Indians from abroad, including from the US, the UK and the UAE.

The first of the nearly 20 Air India flights will take home 240 Indians from here on Friday who are part of the over 3,500 expatriates caught in the lockdown, Jawed Ashraf, Indian High Commissioner to Singapore, ...